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Passulata 37.5cl, Tanca Nica 2022
Tanca Nica
Tanca Nica is run by Nicoletta Pecorelli, originally from Sardinia, and Francesco Ferreri, born and bred in Pantelleria. Francesco got the wine bug at a young age, inspired by his grandfather while making wine with him. He already knew he wanted to be a vignaiolo aged 14yo, and left Pantelleria for Conegliano (Veneto) to study at the renowned agricultural and oenological boarding school. After years of research and jobs in wineries as well as oenology labs, he got a gig at the biodynamic estate Seresin in New Zealand. And it is there, on the other side of the world, that he felt the pull of his roots – Pantelleria’s magnetic force brought him back among his grandfather’s vines (2016). Francesco came back on a mission: reviving the old ways, upholding traditions and savoir-faire that have been devalued and lost – 6,000ha of vines in the 1960s and about 500ha in 2010, sadly most of them are in the hands of big brands these days.
"For me, this is the wine that truly represents Pantelleria; it’s wild and unpredictable, it re-ferments several times, and tastes different in every season. Passulata is the passito before the 'passito', the old ways – the real deal." That’s how Francesco introduces an ancestral style of wine that nobody makes anymore – the yields are low, the cost and risk are high, and there is no mention of the method in the oenology books, only a few old farmers can teach it. Harvest kicks off in August with a first passage through the vines; early-ripening bunches with loose and large berries are selected and laid on draining 'soki soki' soils (see profile). The grapes are flipped over every two days against humidity and rot while the heat of the ground dries them. The skills reside in knowing when to stop the drying process and combining the right amount of grapes with a fermenting pied de cuve. The must macerates on skin for a couple of months, it’s then pressed in demi-johns where it will remain for a year (outdoors, exposed to the elements) before bottling without any additives.
Salt, sugar, umami, bitters, VA, ethanal, volcanic mineral stamp, complex medicinal aromatics – so much for the senses – a 'vino di meditazione' that also opens many doors with food.
Producer Tanca Nica of Francesco Ferreri and Nicoletta Pecorelli
Origin Panteleria, Sicily, Italy
Grapes Zibibbo
Vintage 2022
Alcohol 14% ABV
Style Sweet wine
Bottle size 750ml
Winemaking Manual harvested, dried berries on the soil, macerated a couple of months, gently pressed to age in demi-johns for a bout 1 year. Fermented with indigenous yeast. Unfiltred, unfined, No So2 added at bottling.
Notes Organic, Natural, Biodynamic